Narconon Reveals How Cannabis Cravings Drive European Drug Trends

A study of the new report from the European Monitoring Center for Drugs and Drug Addiction makes the cannabis connection to European drug trends much more apparent.

Users choosing these new, unpredictable drugs are playing with fire.The more parents talk to their children about the problems related with use of synthetics, the better.

(PRWEB) August 30, 2013

A new report from the European Monitoring Center for Drugs and Drug Addiction provides a new, overall look at the rates of drug abuse and trafficking across Europe. An examination of that report shows how prominently cannabis figures into current trends.

First, cannabis is the most-used drug across the European Union. More than three million Europeans abuse this drug every day. The Czech Republic measured the highest rates of abuse, with 42% of 15 and 16 year olds having tried the drug.

Across all of Europe, it’s estimated that more than 15 million people 15 to 34 years of age have consumed this drug in the last year.

While cannabis has long been the market leader, the synthetic cannabis market has been growing rapidly in the last few years. Synthetic cannabinoids (cannabis-like) are not similar to cannabis in their chemistry, but rather in the way they interact with the body. Synthetic cannabinoids can be extremely potent and may contain a variety of different ingredients. There is no predicting the effects when a person choses one of these substances.

"While some synthetic cannabinoids are illegal, there are always new substances of this type hitting the market," said Clark Carr, president of Narconon International. "It is impossible for legislative bodies to keep up with this trend. Currently, there is one new psychoactive substance per week being reported to the European early warning system."

Each year in Europe, there are more than a million seizures of drugs, with cannabis accounting for nearly three out of four seizures. Important to note is that seizures of herbal cannabis have more than tripled in Europe since 2001. Seizures of resin cannabis (hashish) remain high at more than 300,000 annually.

In addition, nearly every country has reported seizures of multi-kilogram quantities of synthetic cannabinoid agents, most of it being trafficked from Asia to Europe. About these synthetics, the new report, titled European Drug Report, Trends and developments, notes that: "Many of the products on sale contain mixtures of substances, and the lack of pharmacological and toxicological data means it is hard to speculate on long term health implications of use, but increasingly data shows that some of these substances cause problems requiring clinical interventions, and fatalities have been recorded."

"Users choosing these new, unpredictable drugs are playing with fire," said Carr. "The more parents talk to their children about the problems related with use of synthetics, the better. It would be smart for parents to also mention the fact that 60,000 Europeans each year are entering drug rehab centers to get help for cannabis addictions, proving that this drug also creates severe problems for the abuser."

The primary countries reporting high levels of treatment for cannabis addiction are the UK, Germany, Spain, France, Italy and the Netherlands.

"Our Narconon centers in Europe can, of course, help these people who have suffered damage due to abuse of these drugs, but when parents can prevent drug abuse by their children, then they can avoid the need for rehab," concluded Carr.

For more information on the Narconon drug rehab program, call 1-800-775-8750.